


First Blood

by what_the_butler_saw



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Complicated sword fighting description that may not be very accurate actually, Cullen is a bit dom in a very vanilla way, Cullen is a bit ruthless, Dorian - Freeform, Dorian makes rude gestures, Double Entendre, F/M, Fluff, Iron Bull hardly features, Shields, Some soldiers - Freeform, Sparring, Suggestive Themes, Swearing, Sweet, Sword fights are harder to write than you might think, Swordplay, Swords, before the desk scene, complicated sword fighting description, courtyard sparring ring, first blood, suggested ankle biting for those with a sensitive disposition, sword fight, swords meaning other things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-06-05 02:23:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6685429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_the_butler_saw/pseuds/what_the_butler_saw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Elaine Trevelyan, mage, takes on her Commander in the sparring ring and gets her ass whooped ... [spoiler alert] sorry not literally, there's not even a smooch. lots of suggestive ideas though :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Phew who knew there was so much to know about sword-fighting! Learned everything from some youtube videos :D And i think they'd use dummy swords, but the story doesn't work if they do (artistic license is everything!)  
> Hope you enjoy :)

Elaine Trevelyan stood at the sparring ring watching the two men inside circle each other. She enjoyed watching the mock battles, partly because who wouldn’t want to watch two fit young men battle it out with a sword and shield in a friendly match, and secondly she tried to pick up tips and tricks, moves and dodges that might help her master sword fighting herself.  
As a mage she’d led such a sheltered life, and now the sudden freedom and power she’d ended up with left her racing to try everything that life offered. Cullen had agreed to teach her to handle a sword, always a handy back up. Six months of training had left her passably competent, so that she could see their skill rather than the make-it-up-as-you-go-along fest that she’d assumed it was.  
‘They’re coming along well,’ a familiar voice said at her shoulder. She glanced up at Cullen who’d come up beside her. He leaned against the railing, their shoulder and elbows bumping. She smiled. Six months ago he’d have kept a respectable distance in public. She liked this better.  
‘How are you?’ she asked.  
He glanced at her and inclined his head. ‘Okay, thank you. Bad couple of night’s sleep. But it’s manageable.’ He huffed a chuckle. ‘I really don’t know. I can’t even remember what normal is,’ he said. ‘How are you doing? You’re off tomorrow.’ It was a statement. Elaine knew he hated her going. She put her cheek to his shoulder and nodded, before straightening.  
‘Then I’m not going anywhere for at least a month. I need a break.’  
‘You’ve earned it. I’m not convinced overseeing everything is a sustainable approach anyway, you know that. You’re spreading yourself very thin. The bigger the reach of the Inquisition, the harder you’re going to push yourself.’ He looked at her. ‘You need to start delegating the small stuff.’  
‘You’re right, I know, but we rely on so much goodwill. And I don’t want to be some untouchable figurehead –‘  
‘You’re not. I can definitely vouch for that,’ he said quietly, a half smile pulling at his lips.  
‘Commander, we’re in public,’ she said quietly with a smile.  
‘I’m caring less and less what the public think,’ he replied, his gaze dropping to her mouth. ‘You are right, however.’ He took deep breath and turned his attention back to the men in the ring. ‘Lift your shield Cooper, it’s in your hands for a reason!’ he called. He continued watching for a while, then turned to her again. ‘Practiced today?’ he asked.  
She shook her head, watching Cooper as he slammed into his opponent. ‘That was nicely done,’ she murmured. Then looked at Cullen. ‘Fancy a go in the ring with me?’  
Cullen raised his eyebrows. ‘In there with an audience? Are you sure?’  
‘What’s the worst that can happen? You’ll give me a pasting and I’ll have had my practice for the day.’  
‘I’m not sure giving the Inquisitor a pasting in public is quite the done thing,’ he said carefully.  
‘Commander, I’m commanding you,’ Elaine said, spiritedly. ‘Get your gear. I’ll chalk us up.’  
She left Cullen standing, before she could change her mind. 

Half an hour later she faced Cullen in the ring. She wore her light linen tunic and a brief chain mail tabard. She had her sword and shield, nice items that the Commander had picked out for her. Both light, durable, well made. She hefted her sword, gripped her shield, and let herself feel the sword as an extension of her arm, her shield as part of her. As a mage she felt this naturally with her staff which was the focus for her magic, but dead metal and leather was something different and it was taking a while to get used to. It left her feeling a little blind, or a little numb, fighting like this.  
But she was getting there, and could respectably knock out opponents of her own ability level sometimes. She’d faced Cullen in a sparring match before, but he’d been tutoring her.  
This was the first time she was facing him as an opponent.  
The thought thrilled her a little, and scared her a lot more. He had at least 17 years of experience over her, and was an excellent swordsman.  
She eyed her opponent. He’d stripped his armour off and was wearing a mail tabard like hers over his linen shirt and she watched as he removed his sword belt and slung it to a soldier outside the ring. He hefted his sword, and nodded to her.  
She smiled back.  
Word of the Inquisitor and the Commander in the sparring ring had brought quite a crowd and there were people up on the battlements and hanging out of windows. Well, a public pasting was what she was going to get and no mistake.  
‘First to yield?’ he said.  
‘Come, come, Commander. First blood or nothing,’ she replied.  
‘Inquisitor …’ Cullen frowned slightly.  
‘Make the stake worthwhile Commander,’ roared The Bull from somewhere outside the ring. ‘First blood,’ he roared. ‘First blood, First blood.’  
The crowd around Bull took up the chant. Cullen shook his head and sighed. He walked over to her. ‘Inquisitor, I must insist –‘  
‘I would yield to you anytime,’ she said with a twinkle in her eye, and supressed a smile as a blush stole across his cheeks. ‘But first blood must be earned,’ she added quietly, so only he could hear, holding his gaze all the while.  
A long moment passed, and then he bowed his head once and moved back across the ring.  
‘En garde,’ he called after a moment, and she readied herself.  
They circled slowly, weighing each other’s movements, before she made a feint, hoping to draw him out, but he wasn’t going to be drawn and on her retreat he moved into her space and she had a hard time parrying, but was lighter on her feet than he was and managed to twist away.  
There were cheers in the crowd. She grinned, and watched Cullen as he moved back. He moved easily, completely in control of his movements, and in a moment had come towards her again, moving out of his last move into the next, barely giving her time to recover.  
‘Balance yourself Inquisitor,’ he said, ‘Steady your back foot, raise your shield.’ She did so, and raised her sword, blocking him, but struggling to contain the blow as he twisted his sword, pressing her down, forcing her to knock him back with her shield.  
‘Good move,’ he said, and the next moment he’d fallen back and was handing his shield to a soldier outside the ring. He turned to face her, squaring his footing, moving more freely. She mirrored him, not letting him close as she blocked him twice more, pushing against him bodily with her shield, trying to slide her blade passed his but each time he met and countered her move.  
The crowd was mostly silent now, apart from the odd comment from Dorian, who was more worried about her face than about her winning. She smiled as he muttered something loudly about deliciously uncouth displays of barbarity and the need to fight shirtless, but paid for her slip in concentration as Cullen slammed into her sending her sprawling.  
‘Don’t let yourself be distracted,’ Cullen said, showing no signs of even breaking a sweat, as she gasped and laughed on the grass. She rolled, and was on her feet, narrowly missing a swipe from Cullen’s blade, and taking advantage of his extended reach to make a long stab towards him. He parried, coming round to lock hilts and pushed her back against the railings.  
‘Better,’ he said, ‘you took a good opening,’ and stepped back, letting her dart away, and bring herself back to a better position.  
‘Are you going easy on me?’ she asked, panting a little, determined to match him for fitness if not technique. She wiped the trickle of sweat from her temple with the back of her hand.  
‘Inquisitor, my apologies, but if I wasn’t you’d be dead by now,’ Cullen grinned, and the those soldiers nearest who could hear him laughed. She could hear the quip being passed back through the crowd and she glared at him, but unable to sustain it she grinned.  
‘Point taken, Commander,’ she smiled.  
‘Not yet, my Lady,’ he replied.  
Elaine blinked. ‘Are you flirting with me Ser?’ she asked.  
‘Verbal swordplay,’ he said and blushed as Dorian made a rude gesture with his hands. Elaine glanced out of the ring again but caught herself as she saw Cullen take the opportunity to lunge at her, and, taken by surprise, lost the grip of her shield and watched as it was flipped across the ring.  
‘Right,’ she said, glowering, and taking a strong stance. ‘This is serious now.’  
‘First blood is serious, my Lady.’  
They circled, looking for openings, weaknesses.  
It was also quite hard not to be side-tracked by a little bit of innocent ogling of the Commander. She could happily watch the man all day, the movement of his muscle under skin, the lightness, the surety of his movements. He was so different here in his element to the man she knew personally, the quiet, shy man who treated her like she was made of something fragile and pure.  
She smiled, and that was her downfall. He came at her in full body slam, throwing her off her feet.  
She landed spread eagled flat on her back, winded and gasping for breath, while trying to laugh at the same time.  
Cullen walked calmly towards her, and with the tip of his boot flicked her sword from her hand, retrieved it, and handing out of the ring.  
‘Yield yet?’ he said.  
‘Never, not while there’s breath in my body,’ she gasped.  
‘That’s debatable right now,’ he said.  
‘Bite his bloody ankles,’ Dorian called and laughter erupted around the ring. Cullen grinned at the mage.  
Elaine tried to rise, but to her surprise Cullen swung his sword tip an inch above her chest. ‘If you don’t yield then I can only insist on first blood,’ he said.  
She looked up at him. She had never seen him look sexier, hotter and more fuckable than now. Their eyes met and she could see the same feelings mirrored in his eyes. ‘It’s yours,’ she smiled. ‘It always was.’  
He smiled that maddening half smile, reading her thoughts in her eyes, his awkwardness lost in the heat of the moment, his acknowledgement of what she was saying to him making him confident.  
His chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath. Those nearest in the crowd elbowed each other, looks were shared, but Elaine didn’t care anymore.  
He was all she wanted, and she wanted him to know it.  
The tip of his sword didn’t waver, however.  
He was going to insist, she realised. Biting his ankles suddenly didn’t seem such a bad idea. ‘Cut me then,’ she said, ‘just make it somewhere that isn’t going to be inconvenient.’  
‘Sword cuts are rarely less than inconvenient,’ he replied.  
‘I bow to your judgement,’ she said and closed her eyes.  
The crowd fell silent. The moment stretched. She had got herself into this, she freely acknowledged, she just hoped Cullen wouldn’t make it too obvious.  
‘Keep still,’ he said.  
There was a whisper of air near her face. Those nearest in the crowd raised a cheer, and cries of ‘Cullen, Cullen,’ went up amongst the soldiers. Then his hand was in hers, pulling her to her feet and she opened her eyes.  
He inclined his head to her before straightening. The crowd had become one, the cheering and banging of swords on shields, hands clapping. It felt good and she grinned at him.  
‘Where did –‘, but he raised his hand to her cheek and with his thumb wiped across her cheekbone. A smear of blood showed on his hand. She raised her hand and felt the sting as the air made the cut smart.  
She nodded to him. ‘I can live with that,’ she said, wiping the now present trickle of blood on the back of her hand.


End file.
